


You Make Me (discontinued)

by poesmyboi



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Clementine, F/F, Gen, Lesbian Violet, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other, Roller Derby, Slow Burn, blame mia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-06 09:13:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poesmyboi/pseuds/poesmyboi
Summary: At age 18 Clementine is struggling to figure out what life holds for her, she loves her job at the roller skating rink, but what about the future? A girl named Violet crashes into her life at a very pivotal point, leading her down an unexpected path.(discontinued)





	1. I've been waiting for someone like you, yeah

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for stopping by to read this!  
> Music is a very important part of this fic, so I'm linking the fics spotify playlist here, with all the bops that are constantly playing at the roller rink!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/wendighoul/playlist/0OYk76win1bTpwP5h3JPMh?si=2k-R4fuqTCeqKiJy-oY-sw  
> Many of this fanfictions elements are inspired by the songs You Make Me by Avicii and Humility by Gorillaz, both have very cool roller blading themed music videos that are very fitting so I suggest you watch them before reading!  
> The outfits worn by the waiters in You Make Me are similar to what Clementine wears while she skates as well as the other characters. There are also other side relationships planned that I won't tag because they're only briefly mentioned or because it would spoil things!  
> Without further delay, I hope you enjoy this fic!  
> I'll be updating as frequently as humanly possible!

The music thrummed, creating an atmosphere in the roller rink like no other. Once you got out there and glided around it made you feel so alive, like you could do anything, when in reality you were just spinning around on roller blades like an idiot. 

Ever since she had gotten a summer job here Clementine Everett had been obsessed. She had gotten the job thanks to the owners Christa and Omid being family friends and had been working there ever since. She used to just work the counter and play around on the skates after work, but playing around became practicing, and practicing became her new love of rollerskating.

She was now here on most days. Not only did she work the counter now, she taught the first-timers and kids when they came here, distributed and cleaned the roller blades. This place had become like a second home for her. All of the coworkers had become a second family as well.

"Just because you're here before anyone else doesn't mean Christa won't bust your ass. She can get twice as peeved now that she's pregnant," warned Louis.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, go turn on the music already, and make it good," she urged, already hitting all of the lighting buttons, illuminating the rink into a glowing purple with blue lights spinning around. 

"When is the music I play not good?" he joked.

_Fair point._ She cast aside her bag and sneakers, lacing up her rollerblades in record speed. She wore high waisted black shorts and a T-shirt, as well as the baseball cap she was never caught without. She was usually a lot more casual and just wore jeans and a hoodie or something of the sort, but shorts were so much better for skating. 

The music was starting up. She rolled into the rink with ease, her head tilting back as she let herself dissolve into the rhythm. It was like floating, she felt completely free and weightless when she skated. All of her worries melted away. 

_Lee is gonna kill me when he finds out I didn't get into college,_ she thought, sighing heavily. She focused on the lyrics instead, it was Humility by Gorillaz. Easily one of her favourite songs to skate to. She felt herself loosen up instantly, making small circles around the rink to warm up her muscles.

Louis was busily typing away on his computer, no doubt setting up the tracklist for the day. He was in charge of all the music here, he was an excellent DJ. Not many people knew, but he was actually more of a classical music type of guy, he even played the piano which Clem thought was insanely cool. He was one of her best friends, it made working here all the better. 

The song changed to something more upbeat, and her energy rose with it. She spun into the center of the rink, twisting and turning and swaying her arms contently. As the chorus approached she attempted her first jump of the day, grinning to herself when she stuck the landing. The music seemed to fuel her and she skated backward in a semi-circle, building up speed before landing another flawless jump.

She could hardly keep the content smile off of her face as she spun in place, one of her legs kicking up before she continued to spin on one foot. She spread her arms for balance before landing another spinning jump. Her head snapped up at the sound of cheering and clapping from the edge of the rink.

It was Sarah and Marianna, who must have just arrived to see her messing around, judging by the bags still on their shoulders. She ducked her head, her face growing warm with embarrassment from the praise. She waved nervously at them as the song came to a close. 

"Go Clem!" yelled Marianna, smiling brightly, only further embarrassing the girl.

She skated towards the edge of the rink, leaning on the barrier to greet them. They both worked here as waiters, bringing out the food and drink to customers. The cool part was that they did it while skating around on roller blades. They always had Clementine blushing and covering her face with how sweet they were to her, constantly praising her skating abilities. There was only so much praise from cute girls she could handle before combusting. It may or may not have played a hand in her realizing her bisexuality a couple summers ago. 

Ever since coming out to Lee and her closest friends last year, she had been eager to get into dating someone. Preferably a girl. Guys were obviously great, but now that she was finally okay with herself for liking girls she wanted a girlfriend so badly. 

Mariana and Sarah were both great, but not exactly what she was looking for. What was she even looking for? Did she even have a type? She hadn't figured that out yet. Besides, relationship stuff had been put in the back of her mind because of all her worries about school.

"Clem that was amazing!" said Marianna excitedly. 

Her outfit was similar to Clem's, only her high waisted shorts were purple and she wore her favourite bandanna as a headband. Her familiar headphones were hanging out of her pockets as well.

She sighed, still feeling shy, "Thanks, you guys are too much,"

"I should get started in the kitchen," said Sarah, waving as she left. 

"How have you been anyways, I feel like we haven't caught up much since graduation," asked Marianna, leaning her head in her hands against the barrier. 

Clem didn't know how to approach the topic. It was somehow embarrassing to admit that she hadn't gotten into any of the schools she applied to, it seemed like she had failed everyone around her.

"I uh, didn't get accepted anywhere," she said finally.

"Oh, Clem! That's a shame, I know you tried your best," replied Mari, her eyes sympathetic.

Clem groaned, crossing her arms, "And to make matters worse I haven't told Lee yet," she admitted shamefully, "All my refusal letters are shoved in my desk drawer, it's my drawer of failure Mari," 

"Stop being so hard on yourself, I'm sure he's going to understand," Marianna urged.

"All my old report cards and shitty test papers are in there too. I don't know why I got my hopes up applying to all those fancy schools, honestly," she sighed, looking dejected.

"It's because you put so much pressure on yourself. Just because Lee got degrees and is a teacher now doesn't mean you have to do the same," she said firmly.

Clementine mulled this over thoughtfully, "I swear there is so much pressure on teacher's kids to be so smart. That was never going to be my thing, but people still expected it of me,"

Marianna grinned, "Try living in a house with a soldier for your dad!" she laughed, making Clem smile.

She pointed a finger, putting on a deeper voice to imitate her father, "Now Marianna, you can't work as a waiter your whole life! Your brother is doing things with his life!"

Now Clementine was cracking up, "Hey, how is Gabe anyways?" she asked curiously.

"Still at medical school trying to become a nurse, that poor boy. He always sounds so tired when we call," she says, shaking her head.

"Yikes, okay I don't envy that," said Clementine.

"See! Neither of us is going to any fancy schools now that we're finished high school and we're fine! My dear brother Gabriel, on the other hand, is working himself to death," she remarked.

It was then that Clem realized that Marianna had successfully managed to calm her worries, as always.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Mari," she said sincerely, "You're the best,"

"It's okay, what are friends for? Seriously, just talk to Lee. Everything will turn out fine in the end," she reassured with a gentle smile. 

Clementine grinned thankfully, "I better get to work before Christa gets here,"

They waved each other off, Clementine skating off to the counter to get ready for opening whilst Marianna got to work lacing up her roller skates.

\---

Her shift was uneventful, and on her train ride home, she found herself mulling over what she would say to Lee. After the boost of confidence from her chat with Marianna she knew it had to be today. She knew that in the end, Lee wouldn't be mad at her. It didn't make it any less terrifying having to face his disappointment though. 

She texted him a quick message saying she'd be home soon, and he replied shortly after.

**Clem: ill be home soon, im just on the train now**

**Lee: Good, the food will be ready soon. Carley's coming over for dinner again, I hope you don't mind x**

She grinned at her phone. Carley was Lee's girlfriend, and they'd been dating for almost a year. It made her happy to see him happy, and she had never been opposed to Lee seeing someone. However, he had always seemed hesitant, as if he was scared it would upset her. 

Ever since he had become her foster parent he had always been sure to never make it seem like he was trying to be her Dad. Or replace the family she had before for that matter. She had never seen it that way though, as a timid 9 year old they had become best friends quickly. She really had come to see him as a father figure over the years. 

As soon as Carley had come into the picture Clementine had been overjoyed. She was 18 and not once had Lee been on even a date since he had adopted her. And now they were really becoming serious, she was awaiting the day she just moved in already.

She let herself into the house, the smell of food and the sound of laughter already coming from the kitchen. She hung her rollerblades on the hook that also held Carley and Lee's jackets, which made her pause to smile momentarily. 

"Lee? I'm home," she called as she walked through the hallway.

She found Lee standing over the stove, stirring what looked like pasta while Carley was sat at the counter on one of the stools. The sight made her heart ache with happiness.

"Hey, Clem," he said, turning to greet her.

Clem greeted Carley politely with a hug, "It's nice to see you, Carley,"

"You too hon, how was work?" she asked sweetly.

"It was good," she replied, "I'm gonna get changed into something more comfortable, I'll be right back,"

\---

Dinner had been hearty and filled with laughter and smiles all around, as it usually was when Lee cooked and Carley came over. Clem was smiling to herself and sipping from her glass as Lee got up to show Carley to the door. Her nerves picked up again though, since now that it was just Lee and herself she could talk to him about what she needed to.

The door could be heard shutting, and Lee came back and began cleaning up plates and other dishes. 

"Here, I'll help," she offered, standing up with her plate and cup in hand.

"Thanks, kiddo," he said, the smile still on his face from the heartwarming evening.

She grimaced at the thought of spoiling his good mood, but she didn't want to put it off any longer. They set to work on doing the dishes together, him washing as she dried up and put things away.

"How was work today?" she asked, conversationally.

"Hm? Good, good, it's always good when we're discussing civil war," he said, seeming to have been lost in thought before she spoke up.

She smiled, not knowing how to continue.

"Something on your mind sweet pea?" he asked knowingly.

She sighed, setting down a plate, "Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about," she started unsurely.

"Well you know you can talk to me about anything," he said, rinsing another dish.

She hesitated, visibly nervous, "I know we talked about me going to one of those schools, but I don't think that's going to work out exactly," she said, looking down at the glass in her hand shamefully.

He paused for a moment, "I know hon," he said.

"What? What do you mean you know?" she asked incredulously.

He chuckled softly, "Because I figured you would have told me by now if you had got accepted. And I had a lot of doubts that you really wanted to go to some fancy school anyways," he said casually.

She was in shock for a moment, "Well, I thought you would have wanted me to go to one of those?"

He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her, "Clem, I want you to be happy. If that means you're going off to school, or staying here, or marrying a boy, or marrying a girl, I really don't mind. You should know that much by now," he reassured her firmly.

She felt tears pricking at her eyes, which was rare for her. He hugged her affectionately and she cherished the comforting embrace. 

"Why has the future got to be so scary?" she asked softly.

"Because we can never tell what the future will be like. It's unknown. And we're all scared of the unknown sweet pea," he replied, "But you're going to be just fine, we all are,"

He stepped back to look at her and she rubbed at her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"Now, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm good. Thanks, Lee," she said, smiling as the weight lifted off her chest.

\---

The next day at work, Clementine was in her normal attire, helping a group of kids who were having a birthday party tie their laces. They were all around 6 or 7, so getting them to sit still for more than a few seconds was incredibly difficult. 

They stepped out onto the rink and she instructed them on keeping balance, and then encouraged them to try and skate forward. The lights were spinning in deep purple and orange shades, the music thrumming. She spotted one girl in particular who was clinging to the barrier and looking around nervously. She had a deep skin color and wild curly hair that was tied in two buns on her head. 

Clem skated over to her, bending her knees slightly to be more on her level, "Hey, need some help?" she asked gently.

The girl looked up at her with large nervous eyes, and Clementine noticed the birthday girl badge she was wearing, "Hey is this your birthday party? Happy Birthday!" she beamed.

The girl smiled shyly, "Thanks, I'm 7 now," she said nervously.

"7! You're so grown up!" said Clem enthusiastically, making the small girl giggle, "What's your name?" she asked patiently.

"Brielle," she replied, playing with her chubby fingers shyly.

"Brielle, you're gonna be a great skater I can already tell. Do you want to hold my arm so it's not as scary though?" she asked, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

The girl nodded rapidly, nervously clinging to Clementine's outstretched arm. Clem stood up, skating backward tentatively, going slowly away from the edge of the rink so that the girl wouldn't be as scared. She stumbled a little, and nervously grasped Clem's other hand as well. 

Clementine laughed, "You're doing great!" she encouraged, leading her further out. 

Brielle seemed to be gaining confidence, so Clem spun her around in a circle. She giggled, letting go of one of Clem's hands. Soon enough Brielle was the one leading them around the rink. After a few songs, the kids all skated off the rink excitedly to have lunch. Clementine was shocked for a moment when Brielle gave her a hug before chasing after her friends.

Clementine announced to Christa that she was taking her lunch break. She grabbed a soda and tray of fries from the kitchen, making small talk with Sarah as she did so. The girl was wearing her red glasses and her short hair was tucked behind her ears, which framed her face nicely.

She headed off to see Louis, who was always good company on her breaks. He pushed the headphones off his ears, grinning as she sat down next to him on the small DJ platform. It overlooked the rink nicely.

"Clem! Brought me food I see!" he said jokingly.

He snatched a few fries before she could swat his hand away, and she scowled at him playfully. She shoved a good handful in her mouth, as he chuckled. She looked out onto the rink, sipping the straw of her soda as the blue lights swept over her face. Clementine had always loved the aesthetic of how dark it was in here, aside from the multicolored lights that swept over the place.

She looked up at him, "How are things?" she asked conversationally.

"Great! Got me a date tonight," he said, grinning impishly, clearly containing his excitement.

Her brow furrowed, "Hopefully at a hairdresser so someone can get rid of that ugly mullet Marlon has," she retorted.

Louis sighed, leaning his head in his hands, "I think it's hot," he said dreamily.

Clementine pretended to choke on her drink, and he kicked her playfully.

"Hey, at least I have a date! Who are you to judge!" he pointed out, crossing his arms.

She could hardly contain her laughter, "I'd rather stay single forever then," she snorted, "date that fucking mullet guy," she was cracking up as Louis tried unsuccessfully to knock the drink out of her hand.

Their laughter died down and they both finished off the chips.

"Seriously, I know some lesbians and some alright guys from my old boarding school, I could hook you up," he said pointedly, "I don't actually know your type come to think of it,"

She folded her arms across her chest, "I don't even know my type honestly," she deadpanned.

He snorted then seemed like he was deep in thought for a moment, "Hm, so not Marianna and Sarah I'm guessing?" he supplies.

"Not that I'm looking to date a coworker, but no, they're not my type as far as I can tell," she shrugged plainly.

He smirked, "So not the innocent and kind type, huh?" he mused, "I bet you're into the like, tough and mysterious type aren't you,"

She raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?" she asks.

He shrugs, "Beats me, just a hunch I guess," he replies.

"Clem! I need you back at the birthday party!" yells Christa, surprising them both. 

Clementine hastily discards her rubbish and relaces her skates.

"Yeah, Clementine! Can't you see you're stressing out the baby!" Louis yells dramatically.

Christa crosses her arms unimpressed, "Louis?"

He smiles sweetly, "Yes Ma'am?"

"Get the hell back to work,"

\---

It's not long until her shift is over, and Clementine is exhausted after tending to those kids who only just went home. She sits on one of the stools at the counter, Marianna beside her looking just as ready as her to get this day over with. The place is less packed now and so they both have a moment to catch their breath. Sarah smiles sympathetically, pouring them both cold drinks before skating over to give a couple the food they ordered.

Clementine just about tosses the whole thing back in one go, and Mari watches with amusement. 

"Jeez Clem, it's like you're asking for hiccups," she jokes, loosening the laces of her skates and giving her feet a break.

"Fuck hiccups, I'm dying over here," she dismisses, sighing. 

Marianna grins, used to the way Clem will swear like a sailor when she feels like it.

"Did you get the chance to talk to Lee?" she ventures curiously.

Clem finishes her drink before replying, "Yeah, it actually went fine," she says, "He kinda already guessed that I'd just keep working here," 

Marianna beams at this, "That's great! See, you had nothing to be worried about in the first place," she said happily.

Clementine hummed thoughtfully, "Yeah but it's just," she paused, "I don't know," she said unsurely.

"What's wrong?"

"I just, Mari, do you know what you want to do with your life?" she asked.

"Not a clue," she replied without missing a beat.

Clementine sighed, "Well, me either. Doesn't it like, worry you?"

Marianna sipped her drink thoughtfully, "Hm, no, not really. My uncle Javi lost his dream job and he's still a really happy guy. Got himself a nice boyfriend and everything," she said.

"Woah, Javi has a boyfriend? Who is it?" she asked incredulously.

"Luke Porter, he's a real cutie," she replied with a grin.

"Dang. Well, it worries me. A lot. Like the future and stuff," she vented.

"Well, me too. But Clem, you're a really great and passionate person. You love skating so much, I have no doubt that you're going to be just fine!" she assured.

Clementine was about to protest, but they both looked up as the doors swung open, a group of five girls walking in. Christa noticed too, going to greeting one of them who had darker skin and a shaved head. What stuck out was that the girls all had skating gear with them, and Clementine had never seen any of them before. What, were they like pros or something?

"Who are they?" asked Clementine curiously.

Marianna sighed, "Beats me," she said, beginning to relace her skates, "But I better get back to work," 

"Alright catch you later Mari," she said, her attention quickly falling on the strange group again.

It was only then that she noticed Christa wave her over. She hopped out of her seat and skated over, ducking behind the counter to see what the older woman wanted.

"Clem, this is Ava, I need to talk to her about some important stuff, watch the counter for me for a bit," she instructed, and Clementine complied.

They walked into the staff room where Christa's office was, and Clementine's attention fell back to the four remaining girls. Two of them looked a little older than the others and both had short hair, they were talking to either other contently, seeming pretty close. The other younger two were leaned against the wall, looking around the place. One of them was taller, pale with blonde hair and a denim jacket. The girl beside her had a soft smile, her hair was a reddish colour. 

Clementine continued to observe them curiously, and the blonde girl who looked around her age met her gaze. She froze, unsure of what to do. The girl's expression was bored, almost distant. But after a few moments, she smirked. 

**What.**

_What the fuck?_ Clementine could feel herself blushing, her mouth hanging open dumbly. 

Before she could even begin to process what had happened, the older girl said something that caught her attention, and they all headed towards the seating area together. Okay, that was. That was something. A cute girl smiled at her, no, like smugly fucking smirked at her. This was the thing she's been wanting for ages, and she had just stood there like an idiot. If there weren't other people around she would have hit herself in the face.

Suddenly Omid grabbed her attention, "Hey kiddo, where's Christa?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, talking to someone in the office. Ava or something," she muttered blankly. 

He gave her an odd look but shrugged it off, "Oh, yeah I forgot about that. Some girls are looking to practice their roller derby here, how cools that?"

If she didn't have any self-control she would have grabbed his shoulders and shook him, asking him why she had to be such a gay mess. But she didn't, she regained her composure, suddenly understanding what the unfamiliar girls had been doing here. Roller derby, huh? She's heard of it but never seen it actually be done. Which was weird since she worked at a rollerskating rink, maybe there were just no local players. Well, now there was apparently.

"Yeah, that is pretty cool I guess," she replied thoughtfully.

He smiled, "I can take over the counter, don't you worry, your shift is nearly over anyway," he insisted.

"Oh, thanks Omid," she said.

"No problemo Clem, say hi to Lee for me," he said.


	2. I know you and you know me, we got telepathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clementine watches her in complete wonder, "Sorry, I never asked what your name was?" she asked.
> 
> The girl skated in a small circle around Clementine as the song picked up, "Violet," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kind comments on the first chapter! I'm so happy it's being received well!!  
> This fic is my baby I'm super proud of how it's going so far!

Louis is completely in his own world the next morning, nodding his head as he sets up the first few songs of the day. In fact, he's so absorbed in Rihanna he doesn't notice Clem skate across the rink towards the DJ area lightning fast. She slams her hands down on the barrier, successfully scaring the absolute shit out of him.

"Louis!" she yells at him urgently.

He visibly jumps, his headphones flying off, "What the- What the absolute shit was that for Clem?!" he sputters, regaining his composure shortly.

He shuts his laptop, turning to see her climbing over the barrier, looking like an absolute idiot.

"The exit is just over there-" he starts but she jumps up shushing him.

"Sh! This is important!" she says.

He looks at her expectantly but she's hesitating, chewing her nail nervously.

"There was this girl, right? And she was like crazy cute. She was just leaning against the wall all cool and unimpressed," she said, emphasizing her point by stressing certain words and gesturing with her hands.

"Woah, you met someone?" he asks incredulously, already forgetting the scare and getting excited with her.

"N-not exactly," she stutters, "I was just kinda looking at her, and then she looks at me. And I was like shit, but then she smiled at me!" she exclaimed, grabbing Louis and shaking him by his jacket.

He has to grab his headphones before he almost drops them again, "Wait, hold up, she just smiled at you? Jesus Christ, you might officially be worse than me," he laughs.

"No, no, it wasn't just a smile, it was like a smirk! What does that even mean?" she says incredulously.

He's grinning at her, "I don't know but it sounds gay to me," he says approvingly, "I've literally never seen you so worked up over someone all this time that I've known you! She must have been really cute,"

Clem sighs, "Yeah, she was. She was pale but with really nice blonde hair, and her jacket was really cool too actually," she notes happily, "I went home and I was totally fine but then she randomly popped into my mind late last night and I started freaking out, why am I like this?" she sighs.

He shakes his head, "Don't worry, it's like that for most queers, at least from what I've heard. And experienced myself of course. All Marlon and I did for the longest time was hold hands and I was still a constant mess," he says, a fond grin on his lips.

Clementine was blushing as if the notion of holding hands with someone had reminded her of the girl again. 

"How was your date by the way?" she asked curiously.

Louis' expression somehow softened even more, "It was great, we went to the arcade, the new one at the mall," he explained as he listened intently, "He drove me home and kissed me and everything, it was pretty perfect," he beamed.

He looked at her expectantly, normally by now she'd pretend to be gagging or talking about how gross Marlon's mullet was. But this time she seemed happy to hear about it.

"Okay, this is crazy, you meet one girl and suddenly you're completely lovesick. Don't tell me you're gonna be like this all day," he joked teasingly.

She shook her head, grinning happily, "I think I'll be like this the rest of my life," she said, "She was just so pretty, man,"

\---

Just as Louis had predicted, her head was in the clouds all day. Even Mariana and Sarah picked up on her strange behavior. She could hardly stay focused, she zoned out of conversations easily and the sappy love songs suddenly had a different meaning to her. 

This was absolutely crazy, why was she like this after one girl looked at her differently? It must be some side effect of never having a proper relationship. She was 18 and hadn't had a significant other, so as soon as someone looked her way she was gushing at the seems with affectionate thoughts.

She was helping some kids get shoes in their size and getting ready to head out onto the rink. She demonstrates her standard tips on how to stay balanced and heads out with a bunch of the nervous kids, some more confident than others. One of the younger boys to her left wobbles for a few moments before falling on his butt clumsily. 

Clementine doesn't hesitate to come to his aid, skating over and offering him her hand with an encouraging smile. She guides him further out and shows him how to skate forward and stay steady, and he follows her directions timidly. He gets the hang of it quickly and she grins. She rests her hands on her hips, surveying the area for anyone else who might need help.

She's taken off guard as something, or rather, someone zooms right past her side at a high speed. She whips around, looking for the culprit, to see a familiar face she definitely wasn't prepared for. It's the blonde girl from yesterday, standing across from her with her hands tucked into her pockets, looking smug. Clem is suddenly incredibly grateful for the dim lighting because without a doubt her face is turning a deep shade of red.

"Oh, hey," she says, feeling dumb.

"Hey," she replies, her tone almost sounding teasing.

Clementine likes her voice, she decided. She has to stop herself from saying something stupid like 'Do you come here often?'.

"I saw you yesterday," she says instead, folding her arms casually.

"You work here, huh?" she asks, skating towards her so they aren't so far apart.

The purple and blue lights cascade over them both, and Clementine can feel her palms become clammy and her heart rate picks up in speed.

"Yeah, it's pretty great. Um, you're gonna be doing roller derby here? That's really cool," she says, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously,

"Mhm, you ever play?" she asks, smiling fondly.

"No, I've only ever heard about it. I love to skate though," she admits easily.

"I saw you with those kids, pretty cute how you helped them out like that," she commented, that same slightly teasing tone coming into play.

Clementine' heart is doing summersaults in her chest as it tries to decipher what exactly the girl was calling cute, her or the kids.

"Uh, yeah, I kind of help out with new people who aren't that used to skating yet," she explained.

Suddenly the current song fades out and a new one comes on, it's tune all too familiar. No. No fucking way did Louis just put her favorite love song on. She shoots a panicked look in his direction, and he's grinning and giving her a thumbs up. She looks back at the girl who she still doesn't know the name of as the opening to Telepathy by Christina Aguilera plays. She's going to murder him.

"That seems like a pretty great job," she comments, skating around lazily.

Clementine watches her in complete wonder, "Sorry, I never asked what your name was?" she asked.

The girl skated in a small circle around Clementine as the song picked up, "Violet," she said.

Clementine could feel her heart hammering in her chest as Violet stopped in front of her, "What's yours?" she asked innocently as if she isn't making the other girl unbelievably flustered.

"It's Clementine," she replies breathily.

Violet grins, "That's such a cool name," she comments.

"Thanks," she replies, unsure of what else to say.

Two figures catch her eye, it's the older girls from yesterday with the short hair.

"Oh, aren't those your friends?" Clementine asks curiously, pointing them out.

Violet crosses her arms, turning to look at them as they speed down the rink, knocking and elbowing each other.

"Oh yeah, that's Molly and Jane, they're pretty cool," she says.

They both watch as Molly shoves especially hard, and Jane falls over. Clementine's eyes widen slightly, but they're both laughing and chatting happily. Molly helps her to her feet and they lock fingers affectionately.

Violet snorts, "That's roller derby for you," she says, "Except like, way more violent cause those two are soft with each other," she says fondly.

"It must be kinda dangerous?" ventures Clementine as Violet turns back to her.

She's still unsure of how exactly roller derby works, she just knows it's a team sport that tends to get pretty rowdy. She says a silent thank you as the song ends and she can breathe a little easier.

"Oh yeah, you get bruised and stuff pretty easily. I busted my lip pretty badly once," she supplies, pointing to her bottom lip.

Clementine stares, her mind conjuring the image of Violet with blood running down her lip, but still skating around confidently. She blushes, banishing the surprisingly arousing notion from her mind.

"Wow," she says, and she means it.

Roller Derby is this whole other side of skating she has barely brushed the surface of. She has a feeling she'll be seeing more of it with these girls around.

"Uh, I should really get back to work," she says, noticing how many more kids have stumbled their way onto the rink since she last checked, "It was really great meeting you Violet,"

The blonde girl smirks, not dissimilar from the way she did yesterday, "I'll see you around Clementine," 

She skates off, leaving Clementine standing dumbly in the middle of the rink. She musters her strength, suppressing the surging emotions in her chest as she speedily heads towards the edge of the rink. Parents and children alike are trying to find fitting shoes and skate into the rink, and she hurries to help them out, her face likely still blushing profusely.

\---

It's closing time and Louis is busying himself in scavenging leftover fries and goodies from the kitchen, so Clementine skates to whatever comes on. She feels a little dejected that she didn't see Violet again before she left, but those thoughts are quickly replaced with happy ones. She talked to her! And it had seemingly gone well.

The music was picking up, so Clem increased her speed and spun in a big semi-circle around the circumference of the now empty rink. She beamed happily, laughing to herself and covering her blushing face with her hands. She whooped loudly, feeling simply over the moon as she ducked and weaved and spun.

Her laughter had caught Mariana's attention, who was in the process of packing her bag. She turned to Louis, who was busily stuffing his face with leftover fried goods and cordial.

"What's got her in such a good mood?" she asked, bewildered.

Louis swallowed a handful of fries, grinning at Clementine's goofy skating, "She met this girl, you should ask her about it!" he says.

He seems to notice the time and swears, "Shit sorry, Mari, I gotta get going!" 

Mariana sighs teasingly, "Don't worry, us girls will do all the work, as always!"

He sputters some apologies on his way out, and Mariana laughs, shaking her head. Sarah skates up next to her, a tray full of dishes in hand.

"You should head home, I can clean the rest. And Clem can lock up, she looks like she'll be here for a while longer anyway," she says kindly, putting her free hand on Mariana's shoulder.

The shorter girl blushes at the tenderness and kindness that Sarah always seems to treat her with, "Oh, you're too nice to me, let me help out," she urges.

"Nonsense, there's only a couple stray dishes. You get going," she assures firmly.

She gives in, "Oh alright, I'll return the favor tomorrow," she promises, "I'll just say goodbye to Clem, or she'll just be left all alone here dancing without even realizing it," 

She heads towards the rink, leaning against the barrier to get Clementine's attention. Perfect Places by Lorde is currently booming, and she seems to be working up a sweat with her erratic turns and jumps.

"Clementine," she calls, smiling fondly.

The girl spots her, rolling to a stop and breathing heavily. She skates over and leans against the barrier beside Mariana, using her cap to wipe the sweat from her brow.

"Good day, huh?" commented Mariana teasingly.

"Yeah, it was so good," says Clementine genuinely.

Mariana lights up excitedly, "Before I go, I nearly forgot to ask you! Gabe is coming home this weekend for a visit, we're going to cook his favorite food on Saturday for lunch and everything. Javi is even bringing his boyfriend, you should come over," she beams.

Clementine grins, "Woah, I wouldn't miss it! Can I even sleepover, just like old times?" she asks.

"You have to! It'll be so much fun! You'll get to see Gabe and Javi again and meet Luke!" she enthuses excitedly, both girls beaming at the prospect.

During high school they had sleepovers all the time, Clem was kind of an unofficial member of the family. She smiled all of her way home, happily letting Lee know of her plans when she got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Chapter 3 will be out shortly :)  
> Let me know what you think in the comments please, are there any characters in particular you really wanna see get more time in this fic? Obviously, the main focus is violentine but I wanna expand on other couples and characters when I can, so just let me know!


	3. You brought a fire to a world so cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's just, this girl I met,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis' rollerskating playlist:  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/wendighoul/playlist/0OYk76win1bTpwP5h3JPMh?si=Ubiza8w8SdaNFjyZv8D5bw :)

The Garcia family home is a place of comfort for Clementine. She has an abundance of good memories here, from coming out for the first time ever to Mariana, to staying up eating junk food and watching the dumbest movies they can find. Clementine remembers every family photo, the wallpaper, the stars on the ceiling in the kid's bedrooms and especially the warmth and amazing smells that would always be pouring out of the kitchen around meal time.

That Saturday is no different. She's chatting with Gabe at the table they had set up together while Kate and Mariana prepare lunch. She had insisted on helping in some way but they had urged that Clementine and Gabe keep away from the food, given their cooking history.

Despite everything she had expected of what it would be like seeing Gabe again, he was still Gabe. What, had she thought he'd be in hospital scrubs and a surgical mask? A real adult now? No, he was the same guy she could joke about pretty much anything with. 

"What's medical school even like?" she asked conversationally. 

His face scrunched up, "It's really, really hard. Like I knew it was going to be challenging but it's honestly so difficult to stay on top of," he complained.

Clementine stifled a laugh, "I mean, at least it's your dream right?"

Gabe hummed in agreement, "Yeah, we're doing this course right now where we get to go to real hospitals and watch the doctors work. We even get to chip in sometimes and it's just so rewarding, you get to help people all day," he said.

Clementine marveled at the way his very being lit up with passion as he talked about it. She briefly wondered what it was like to know you were doing exactly what you were meant to be doing and to get that kind of fulfillment out of it. She quickly cut off that stream of thought before she got lost in it.

"That's amazing," she said, and she meant it.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Gabe jumped up instantly.

"I'll get it!" Mariana hollered from the kitchen, and Clementine could hear the eager smile in her voice.

Gabe was already on his way to the door, a smile on his face.

"Gabe! Wait up!" Mariana protested.

Clementine breathed out a huff of laughter at the siblings familiar bickering, getting up to follow. They opened the door, beaming at the sight of their uncle Javi and a slightly nervous looking man beside him who must have been Luke.

"Mariana, Gabe, it's great to see both of you," he said with a smile as he hugged them each in turn. 

Luke lingers back, obviously feeling out of place. Mariana and Gabe, of course, greet him with the same kindness, and Javi sends him lots of reassuring smiles, grasping his hand securely for good measure. Javi envelopes Clementine in a hug when he sees her, muttering about how she must be taller. She pats his back a little awkwardly, feeling unaccustomed to being apart of a Garcia family reunion.

At lunch she loosens up, Javi is easy to talk to and she finds that Luke is too. He's polite, just a little shy it seems. Eventually, they're all making jokes with each other, teasing Javi about his boyfriend especially.

\---

After lunch, Javi and Luke left and went home. It was Mariana who suggested they order a pizza for dinner and watch a movie, and Gabe and Clementine obviously weren't going to disagree with that. They sifted through the stack of DVDs, a short argument ensuing because Gabe hated horror movies while Clementine loved them. Eventually, they settled on just watching the original Star Wars trilogy, because you couldn't go wrong with that, and they all got changed into pajamas.

They all started getting tired during Empire Strikes Back and decided to just head to bed. Gabe said goodnight and headed to his room through a muffled yawn, and Mariana and Clem headed back to hers. It had been a while since Clementine had slept over, so it was odd that the room hadn't changed much at all.

Her double bed had pink covers and an array of pillows, way too many than one person would need. The walls were painted a soft purple. A bi pride flag hung in front of the window like a curtain, Clementine had one just like it hanging over her own bed at home. They had bought them together at a pride parade last year, she remembers how nervous she had been to explain to Lee what it symbolized despite him already knowing she wasn't straight. 

Mariana flopped across the bed, latching onto one of her stuffed animals.

"No way you're falling asleep there, let me in Mari," she said, rolling the girl onto the other side of the bed so that there was enough room for both of them.

Mariana giggled, promptly sitting up as Clementine sat on the other side of the bed.

"Girl talk," she said all of a sudden, her smile teasing and playful.

Clementine raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Okay, what about?"

"You were acting so strange at work yesterday! Louis said I should ask you about it," said Mariana.

Clementine sighed, rolling her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips told Mariana everything she needed to know. 

"Ohmygosh!" she rushed, "Who is it? Please tell me, pretty please," she urged the other girl.

"She's just, this girl I met," she replied, pointedly avoiding Mariana's gaze.

"Not just this girl, she's obviously a lot more than that if you're so worked up!" 

Clementine hesitated, grabbing one of Mariana's plushies and hugging it to her chest.

"Okay, I really like her, she was just so cool!" she admitted, a fond smile on her lips, "Just don't make a big deal out of it, okay? She probably doesn't even remember my name,"

"As if! Clem, this is amazing! I don't think I've ever seen you with an actual crush before," she marveled, her eyes bright with excitement for her friend.

"Her name's Violet," she said, sighing as she remembered how dumb she had acted when they spoke.

"Cute," teased Mariana, drawing out the 'u' sound.

\---

The next day at work, big surprise, but her thoughts are clouded with thoughts of Violet once again. She doesn't get a chance to speak to Louis until her lunch break, so she greets him with a hard flick on the forehead.

"Hey! What gives with the violence?!" he protests loudly.

She folds her arms across her chest, glaring at him pointedly, and all at once he catches on.

"Oh. That's what gives," he says sheepishly, "Look, I'm sorry for trying to create the perfect romantic atmosphere with a perfectly timed song," 

Clementine groans frustratedly, "That's not an apology! You completely embarrassed me!" 

"Well, it looked like it went pretty well to me! I was just providing musical accompaniment!" he argued, "I'm honestly hurt that you don't appreciate my support," he said, placing a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"I'm never telling you my favorite songs ever again, in fear of them being used against me like that," she said dismissively.

"Jokes on you, I got playlists on top of playlists of your favorite songs. Now the next time Violet sweeps you off your feet I'll be ready," he says, smirking playfully.

"She didn't sweep me off my- Wait, how do you know her name?" asked Clementine, feeling confused all of a sudden.

"Oh, turns out I totally recognize her! She went to the same boarding school that Marlon and me went to. We have mutual friends and shit," he said proudly, "I told you, I know tons of lesbians,"

"How do you know she's gay?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"I don't, I just always got vibes. Trust me I have a sense for things like this," he explained matter-of-factly.

Clementine sighs, "Well, don't pull that shit again. Someone's favorite love song is a sacred thing," she says, only half joking.

"Not to Marlon it's not. That man has terrible taste in music," he muses, shaking his head.

"It baffles me that you're with him more and more each day," she says, crinkling her nose.

\---

It's not until that afternoon that anything eventful happens. Clementine was minding her own business putting away roller blades. She looks up to see the familiar blonde girl leaning against the counter and grinning at her, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

"Violet! I didn't see you there," she said.

"I was hoping you were working today, I wanted to see you," the girl replied casually.

Did she always say things like that like it was nothing? Clementine didn't think she could keep up with that for long, her face was already turning pink right on cue.

"Oh, uh, that's cool. I wanted to see you too," she stumbled, failing miserably at sounding natural.

"Did you now?" asked Violet, her tone slightly teasing as it often was.

Clementine fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously, "I mean yeah, it was really great meeting you last week. How was your weekend?" she asked.

Violet hesitated for a moment, it almost looked like she was taken off guard by her reply. She cleared her throat, running a hand through her hair.

"Just had roller derby practice, how was yours?" she replied.

"Oh you know," she said, grabbing a few pairs of skates and putting them back on the shelves where they belonged, "Just had lunch at Mariana's house. She works here I don't know if you've met her, but yeah, that was really fun," she said, stopping herself before she could ramble.

When she looked up at Violet the girl was smiling at her oddly. She leaned her full weight onto the counter, her arms folded. 

"She your girlfriend?" she asked plainly. 

Clementine processed the words slowly, "No, just a friend," she answered.

_She's really asking if you're single dumbass._

She blushes furiously, clearing her throat, "I mean I'm really not dating anyone at the moment," she added quickly, probably too quickly.

Violet huffed a laugh, "Cool," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.

It was then that Clementine noticed the multiple studs and earrings she had, "Wow, I like your piercings," she blurted before she could think about it.

Violet paused at that, and it was her turn to blush, "Oh, thanks,"

"No problem, they look really nice," she said with a smile, feeling accomplished that she actually managed to compliment her casually.

Violet smiled, humming happily, "You nearly made me forget what I came to talk to you about," she said, teasing.

Clementine was grinning at how cute Violet was being right now, but managed to reply, "What was that?"

"I was actually hoping I could convince you to come to roller derby practice at least once. You can skate already so it wouldn't be that difficult, you don't know if you like it or not until you try it," she urged, "It's no pressure to sign up or anything, we're kinda just desperate for players,"

Clementine mulled it over for a moment, but who was she kidding, she wasn't going to turn down an excuse to hang out with Violet. 

"Sure, I don't see why not. Sounds like fun," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Violet's features instantly lit up, "That's great! We're actually having a team meeting at the proper rink this Saturday! We could catch the train there together if you like," she says eagerly.

Clementine blushes as they exchange phone numbers, the idea of actually getting to spend time with a girl like this filling her with nervous butterflies already. The older girl Clementine recognizes as Jane interrupts them abruptly, grabbing onto the back of the collar of Violet's jacket and tugging.

"C'mon shrimp, we've got a train to catch," she presses, not before looking between the two of them curiously.

"Fuck. Uh, if I don't see you through the week I'll see you on Saturday?" she says, giving Clementine a wry smile.

She grins, "Yeah okay! I'm here like, all the time," she says with a laugh. 

In fact, Clementine can't help but smile to herself, even after Violet leaves. She's teased endlessly by Mariana and Louis, but she doesn't even care. Nothing could spoil her good mood.

That night she finds herself searching up roller derby on youtube, watching games for hours. She outwardly winces when the players fall over or get injured in some way, but is shocked when they just get up and keep playing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was just some short filler, so to make up for it I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter out very soon :)


	4. We got the power to be loving each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because of their close proximity, Violet stumbled over her and they fell in a big painful mess on the hard wooden ground. Jane was cackling from somewhere behind them, and the two girls began giggling as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I hope you're excited about this update because I had so much fun writing it! :) Thank you so much for all the kind comments, they really brighten up my day no matter how I'm feeling and it means a lot!  
> I'm just gonna preface this by saying I don't play roller derby, I just want to but haven't had the guts to actually sign up. So this fic obviously won't be written as well as it would be by someone who does play.  
> The Try Guys have a really great video on it you can watch if you're unfamiliar with the game, it also shows what the rink looks like so maybe check that out:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTpo6M5iynI  
> Thanks again for reading I hope you enjoy!

Clementine was never one to worry about appearances too much. She sorted out her hair in the morning and then threw on a baseball cap, that's just how she was. But this Saturday was different. She wasn't really one to wear makeup, but she had found herself rifling through her drawers, unable to settle on anything to wear. It had to be comfortable for skating, but she still felt the need to look nice in front of Violet.

She had ended up calling Mariana for help, who had practically yelled with how happy she was for being sought out for advice. Mariana had done her best to calm Clementine's nerves, reassuring her about how she should wear something purple because it looked good on her. After several debates, she finally settled on an outfit.

She changed into her regular high waisted shorts, a black T-shirt and a purple varsity style jacket. And her baseball cap of course. She grabbed her small bag, containing her phone, wallet, and water, slinging it over her shoulder. She tied her rollerskates to her bag by the shoelaces, a trick she had picked up in high school after never being able to fit the skates in her bag.

Lee drove her to the train station, looking at Clementine curiously as she grinned at her phone, texting Violet. She was tapping her foot nervously to the music that played in the car. As they pulled up she hurriedly muttered her goodbyes and hopped out of the car.

"Have fun sweet pea," he said, and she waved goodbye.

You had to catch the train to get anywhere interesting, this town had a small mall and cinema and that was about it. But Clementine liked the long peaceful trips, she found them relaxing. You could just zone out and watch the buildings go by out the window.

She was about to send Violet a message telling her she was here when suddenly she caught sight of the girl. She was wearing her regular jacket and a printed shirt, leaning against the wall. The wind picked up strands of her hair as a train flew past the station. Clementine grinned as their eyes met, and walked over to meet her.

"Hey," greeted Violet simply, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Hi," replied Clementine, the butterflies in her chest surging happily.

"Train'll be here soon, wanna go wait on the platform?" asked Violet.

Clementine nodded, and they made their way to where their train would arrive shortly, taking seats together as they waited. 

"Oh, by the way, we have heaps of spare helmets and kneepads and stuff like that, so don't worry about getting injured," she said assuringly, "Besides today won't be anything crazy," she added.

Clementine smiled, "I told you I don't know much about this stuff so don't get your hopes up for me having any skill or anything,"

Violet grinned in return, "Oh, my expectations are so high," she joked, "Seriously though, I've seen how easily you skate, I'm sure you can handle it,"

Clementine's eyebrows furrowed unsurely, "We'll see I guess," 

"I'll be there to help you anyways," she reassured.

Blushing, Clementine avoided her gaze. She noticed that Violet's skates were tied to her bag the same way that Clementine's were, which made her smile. They were white with blue accents, and the laces were purple.

"I love your skates, I never noticed them before," she pointed out, earning a grin from Violet.

Before long their train arrived, and they hastily got on board. They sat across from each other since they both pointed out that they loved sitting beside the window. Clementine watched out the window fondly as the train departed, feeling content already. Violet took out a sketchbook and began sketching away.

"Woah, you draw? That's really cool," complimented Clementine.

Violet grinned, "Thanks, it's really fun and relaxing," she replied.

"I think artists are just the coolest people, with drawing and music too," she marveled, that stream of thought reminding her of Louis' musical talents.

Violet smiled thankfully as she took some earphones out of her pockets and set to work untangling them, "You wanna listen with me?" she offered, and Clementine nodded, accepting the earbud in her ear.

She tapped her foot lightly to the music, watching out the window as Violet drew throughout the rest of the trip.

\---

Even from outside the rink Clementine could hear loud voices and the chaotic sound of skates against wood. She could feel nerves bubbling in her chest as they entered the building, but Violet's smile was reassuring, and it helped her stay calm. She certainly wasn't a stranger to skating, she could do this if she set her mind to it. 

Violet lead her to a storage area. As they made their way there, Clementine watched as a few unfamiliar girls skated in circles around the inverted circumference of the rink. More girls were stretching or simply watching the others. There seemed to be a woman instructing a few of them on their form, maybe she was the coach?

Jane and Molly were sitting on a bench, their faces close as they conversed fondly. They were both done up in their full gear, complete with helmets and protective pads. The girls looked up as they noticed them, smiling.

"Hey Clementine, Violet convinced you to come along huh?" said Molly, her tone sounding teasing.

Clementine nodded politely, momentarily thrown off by the fact that she remembered her name, as they hadn't properly met yet. Violet must have mentioned she was coming. 

"I'll get our gear," said Violet, opening up a cupboard and rifling through it.

Clementine removed her jacket, casting it aside. She sat down on the bench near the other girls, setting to work on taking off her joggers and putting on her skates.

"Think you'll sign up? We could use the players," said Jane conversationally, resting a head in her hand.

Clementine smiled nervously, "I guess I'll see how today goes," she said hopefully.

She looked up as Violet plopped a bunch of gear down on the bench haphazardly, already wearing her purple helmet. 

"I just got the same sizes I have, if not we'll swap them out," said Violet, sitting beside her and beginning to put her own skates on. 

Clementine put the kneepads on. She'd worn them when she had first gotten into skating, she'd needed them back then. But now it felt odd getting geared up, she was used to skating being carefree and easy.

"Well, I hope you enjoy it. We need more players if we're going to be an official team and compete," says Jane, standing up with Molly joining her. 

"Don't put pressure on her, she's just checking it out," said Violet. 

Jane gave her a teasing smile before leaving to go and warm up with Molly. Clementine had her elbow pads and wrist guards on, she was just struggling with the strap of the pink helmet. Violet stood in front of her, fully geared up.

"Here let me," she said, reaching out and tightening the strap as required, "These can be tricky," she explained.

The touch was casual and brief, but Clementine still felt butterflies surge in her chest. She snapped herself out of it quickly, standing up beside Violet, now in the full proper attire. She fiddled with the straps, feeling odd and out of place. 

"Nervous?" asked Violet, smiling gently.

"Terrified, honestly. But, I'm sure it'll be fun," she said, returning the smile easily.

Violet pointed to the brunette woman who looked to be lecturing Jane and Molly, "That's our coach Lilly, she's a hardass and pretty damn strict. But she's not too bad, she just wants to push everyone so they do their best," she explained. 

Clementine nodded, taking in the scene of girls skating once again, trying not to instantly feel overwhelmed.

"You don't need to stress about learning the rules just yet, I don't wanna confuse you. I'll just help you get used to the slanted rink and stuff today," reassured Violet, probably sensing how nervous Clementine was.

She exhaled, putting her toughest face on, "Sounds like a plan," she replied, looking up at Violet.

Violet grinned, then looked like she remembered something, "Oh, one more thing," she said, pausing to grab something from the cupboard. 

She handed Clementine an odd bit of plastic, and she took it curiously.

"Mouthguard. Safety first, remember?" said Violet, smiling.

\---

The hour was a blur of trying to get used to skating on a slanted surface. The other girls, who seemed nice, were impressed by how quickly she picked it up. It wasn't too hard of an adjustment because of Clementine's prior skills. 

Jane was often the one to tease her when she repeatedly fell on her butt, but she was also quick to encourage her to keep going. That was another thing she had to get accustomed to, the constant falling. It wasn't gentle either. She was taught by Violet how to fall and then get up in the safest way possible, and was reminded that in an actual game she would have to look out for other players speeding around her.

Lilly seemed impressed as well, commenting on Clementine's determined nature and natural skill. Violet beamed encouragingly every time she successfully made a lap and was often there to catch her when she fell. It honestly sucked at first, but the constant reassurance from those around her, especially Violet, made it a lot easier.

She had been skating a lap beside Violet, the girl explaining some of the ways to pick up speed on the curves. Clementine had gotten flustered when Violet had tried leading her by the arm and quickly managed to lose her footing. Because of their close proximity, Violet stumbled over her and they fell in a big painful mess on the hard wooden ground. Jane was cackling from somewhere behind them, and the two girls began giggling as well. 

"You got an idea for your roller derby name yet?" asked Jane, watching with a smile as Clementine tried to catch her breath and Violet offered her a bottle of water.

"Roller derby name?" Clementine replied curiously, gratefully accepting the water and taking a few long sips. 

"Yeah, everyone has one. Mine's Zathura, Molly's is Ringwald. We're basically both just movie geeks," she jokes, giving Molly an affectionately smug look, earning a nudge to the shoulder.

"That's so cool!" she said, grinning.

She turned to Violet, "What's yours?" she asked.

Violet almost seemed shy for a moment, "It's uh, Violent Valentine. I know it's lame, but I was like 14 and a name like that sticks," she said dismissively.

Clementine's eyes widened, "Are you kidding me? That's an amazing name, how am I ever going to top that?" she enthused excitedly.

Violet ducked her head shyly, "I'm sure you'll come up with something great," 

\---

After practice, Clementine's limbs are slightly sore, but it isn't nearly enough to spoil her good mood. Her butt definitely took most of the bruising from the number of times she fell on it. However, her head is reeling from spending so much time with Violet, especially with her supporting her the whole time as she got adjusted. 

They were walking the local 7/11 gas station that was close by the rink, the sun glaring down at them in the heat of the day. Clementine had tied her jacket around her waist, it now being way too hot to consider wearing it.

Violet had grabbed two large cups for frozen drinks when they entered, saying "I'll pay,"

Clementine had elbowed her playfully, "No way, let me. I got paid this week," she urged, taking the cups.

Violet snatched the cups back, smirking, "Well so did I. Go pick out snacks or something, I got this,"

"Fine," she conceded, "But I want frozen cherry flavor" she advised, grinning. 

Clementine roamed the rest of the small store, eyeing the junk food and drinks. The guy at the counter was giving them both scrutinizing glances over his newspaper. There was a big freezer in the middle of the store filled with frozen treats and suddenly her mind was made up. She opened it and settled on an ice cream sandwich, the kind with cookies holding together the ice cream center. Just as she was wondering what to get Violet, the girl appeared beside her. She was licking some of the icey that had leaked down the side of her cup, she had filled them both to the brims and they were on the verge of overflowing.

Clementine laughed at the sight, "Oh my God, give me mine it's going to spill!" 

She reached out for it just as Violet smirked and licked some of the overflowing contents from hers as well. 

"No, Violet!" she said, gasping with playful annoyance and grabbing the cup.

They both grappled for it momentarily and Clementine squeezed, causing some of it to overflow and spill onto the floor. They both stifled their laughter, the store clerk glaring in their direction at this point. Luckily he hadn't noticed the spilled drink. Violet bit back her smile and kicked the spilled ice out of the walkway, so hopefully no one would slip on it. 

Clementine, still recovering from her fit of laughter, spoke, "I-I'm getting an ice cream sandwich, what do you want?" she asked.

"Get me one too please," she replied, resisting the urge to burst into laughter again.

She fished out another one from the freezer, shutting it afterward as they both headed towards the counter. They placed their things down, and Violet handed her some money which she begrudgingly accepted. She spotted an array of skittles on display and added a pack to their pile of goodies. 

Just as she had paid and was getting the change, she could tell Violet was smiling about something behind her. Before she could even wonder what it was about, the blonde girl pressed the freezing cup to the back of Clementine's neck, making her gasp from the shocking cold and drop the icecreams.

"Bitch!" she protested with a laugh, the other girl practically cackling. 

The cashier handed her the change, looking about 100% done with their stupidity. They stepped out of the refreshing air conditioning of the gas station and decided to loiter on the sidewalk as they ate their ice cream. 

The sun beamed down on them, which would have been almost unbearable if it weren't for their cool drinks. Violet's face scrunched up in disgust as Clementine poured a few skittles onto her ice cream and took a bite.

"That's fucking disgusting," she said, but she was grinning fondly.

Violet then took a chunk of ice cream and put it in her drink, stirring it in with the melting frozen coke, making Clementine laugh. They ate in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company as they watched the cars pass by. Every once in a while they would make each other laugh for no apparent reason, so in other words, there was never a dull moment.

After they had finished they disposed of the wrappers and decided to just wander around the mall, their quickly melting drinks still in hand. Violet's with a small chunk of ice cream still floating around. They even wore their skates to get around easier, but they took their time. The mall had a brick path with different stores lining either side. A street performer could be heard strumming a guitar softly and singing an unfamiliar song. 

They eventually came across a thrift store which appeared to be air-conditioned. Violet convinced Clementine that the clerks wouldn't care about their skates so they went inside. There was everything from old furniture, clothing, books, DVDs, music and just random trinkets spread out across a lower and upper level of stairs. They took their time exploring, laughing when the other pointed out something they found cool or interesting. 

Clementine was examining the cover of an old yellowing book when she looked up. She didn't think she had ever seen a sight as attractive as Violet was as she ruffled the front of her hair and rifled through old CDs. The blonde girl looked up, meeting her eye. She blinked, then smiled giving her an inquisitive look. Clementine felt herself blushing, she returned the smile and busied herself in the pile of old comics. 

They persisted with exploring the upper level, despite walking up stairs not being particularly safe while wearing rollerskates. Clementine laughed as Violet skated down the long aisle of second-hand clothing. They both took turns giving the other the most ridiculous pairs of sunglasses they could find, making each other laugh when they looked in the mirror. They even stumbled on some cool pairs in the shapes of hearts which they ended up buying. Clementine's were orange and Violet's were purple, which seemed fitting. 

They got into another brief disagreement as they both tried to pay for each other. They ended up deciding on buying the other person's sunglasses for them, which didn't make sense but in the end they were still smiling. Violet snorted as she pointed out their reflections in the store's window. 

Joking around like this came so easy with Violet, Clementine found that she was almost never without a smile on her face the entire time. When it was about 4 in the afternoon they had to head back to the train station, both of them were beginning to get sore feet and become more and more fatigued as time went by. When they got on board they sighed happily as they finally got to rest their feet, and replaced their skates with their more comfortable shoes.

The train ride home was peaceful, Clementine leaned her head in her hand and looked out the window contently, watching buildings and trees as they sped past. All the while Violet sat across from her, sketching. The sound of the rails and the soft strokes of her pencil the only sound accompanying her in the train's carriage.

When they got off at their stop Lee and Carley were there, waiting to pick her up, and the girls said their goodbye's. Violet hugged her with a smile, thanking her for a fun day. Clementine wanted to stay like this for as long as possible, so she did, lingering until they inevitably broke apart. They waved goodbye, and Clementine got in the car at last. Her chest was still full of butterflies and a lingering happiness, and a smile was still tugging at her lips. She folded her sunglasses, but held onto them, not wanting to put them away in her bag just yet. 

"Have fun sweet pea?" asked Lee, eyeing her in the rearview mirror as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Clementine hummed contently, "Yeah, it was a great day," she replied, her tone fond.

"Those are new," noted Carley, looking at the sunglasses in her lap.

Clementine glanced down at them, her cheeks pink, "Oh, yeah, we saw them at a store and both got a pair," she said, looking out the window to avoid meeting their gazes right now.

"Did you say her name was Violet? She seems really nice," said Lee conversationally, obviously curious. 

"Yeah, she's really great," she replies warmly.

No one said anything for a few moments, and Clementine could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. 

Her throat felt dry, but she spoke up, "I'm pretty sure I've got a big crush on her," she said, and a painstaking beat passed.

Carley smiled at her teasingly, "You make it pretty obvious with that grin on your face,"

Lee huffed a laugh, "It's good seeing you so happy hon. I'm happy for you,"

"Me too, you seem really cute together," added Carley.

Clementine's chest soared happily, and she felt silly for even doubting that they would be accepting. She guessed it would just take some getting used to talk to them about this stuff. 

She beamed, "Thanks, you guys,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually so proud of this chapter and I wanna yell about every detail but I won't, (i just about died actually writing violent valentine) but please tell me your favorite parts or leave any feedback at all! I love hearing from you guys :))  
> Have a lovely day/night love you all <3


	5. I'm so over James Dean, I'm more of a three names queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What, you been talking about me or something?" she asked, teasing.
> 
> Clementine blushed slightly, avoiding her gaze, "Only good things, I tell him everything so of course I'd tell him about you," she said, her voice softer than before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 100 kudos and nearly 800 hits! It means so much, writing this fic and getting your feedback cheers me up every day :)  
> Also @ the people who mentioned whip it: you bet it'll be referenced a bunch in future chapters where roller derby is the main focus dont you worry

When Monday rolls around Clementine is probably the most excited she has ever been for work. Mariana and Louis had been expecting to have to beg her for details about how things went with Violet, but she had been eager to talk their ears off as soon as she got there. They all sat at a table together before opening time, deep in conversation.

"Roller derby huh? Told you so," said Louis smugly.

"Told me what?" asked Clementine, confused. 

"Dude, she's a huge lesbian. If you didn't believe me then you've gotta believe me now," he replies, making Mariana giggle.

Clementine's eyebrows scrunch up skeptically, but she feels butterflies once again, "Just because she plays roller derby doesn't make her gay,"

Louis only raises an eyebrow at this, and Clementine remembers Jane and Molly for a moment. Okay maybe he had a bit of a point but she wasn't going to admit that. Besides, she didn't want to get her hopes up any more than they already were with Violet.

Mariana is resting her head in her hands on the table, listening tentatively, "Wow, roller derby sounds amazing. Do you think you'll sign up for real?" she asks excitedly.

Clementine thinks about this for a moment, "It does seem like a lot of fun, I think I should at least try it more," she replies with a shrug.

"Don't pretend that's the main reason for you wanting to do it," teases Louis, "Seriously though, I think you should go for it. The roller derby and the girl," he urges.

Clementine blushes at this, unsure of how to respond.

Mariana beams, "Louis is right! Oh, I'm so excited to see my favorite people in the world so in love," she gushes. 

Just when Clementine is about to protest Louis cuts in, "Yeah, we're both really sappy and adorable. But Mari, what's going on in your love life? I feel like we never talk about you," he wonders.

Mariana sits up in her seat, folding her arms, "What love life?" she deadpans, glancing over at the kitchen. 

Louis hums thoughtfully, "You know, I know a lotta cute guys and gals, I could hook you up-" he starts, but she stands up abruptly.

"I'll pass. I should go help Sarah before Christa gets here," she says.

Clementine sighs heavily, "She's right. We should get going," she says dejectedly. 

Louis slumps in his chair with a groan but eventually gives in as well.

The work day goes by, slow and uneventful. On her break, she checks her phone way too often, something Louis seems to notice but doesn't comment on. And although she denies it, a part of her had secretly been hoping Violet would show up at some point. She realizes how dumb that is, she has a life too. A job and heaps of other friends for sure. She settles on just texting her later. 

After work, she assures Christa that she's fine with locking up again, and its just her Louis, Sarah, and Mariana like it is most days of the week. The girls are finishing up in the kitchen and Louis is just fiddling with his music equipment. Clementine is sitting on the edge of the rink, her legs swinging idly in the air as she watches the colorful lights swish around the room. She had been considering skating to some songs to distract herself, but her limbs were still tender from roller derby on the weekend. She decided it was probably better to take it easy if she was going to be exerting herself with practice more often. 

Someone leaned against the barrier on her right, making her look up.

"Hey Clem," said Marlon, surprising her.

It wasn't that she actually had anything against the guy. She had just never gone to school or worked with him like she had with Mariana and Louis, so she didn't know him that well. She didn't really know much about him other than what Louis had told her. And it was all either simple things or things she wished she didn't know. Like that he loved dogs, and that he was a great kisser. But since Louis was so infatuated with him she had always tried to be her most polite self when she ran into the guy.

"Oh, hey Marlon," she said, "Uh, Louis is just over there, he'll probably be finished soon," she said, pointing to the boy who seemed to be untangling a cable.

"Oh okay, that's good," he replied, smiling as he caught sight of him, "I'm just picking him up today,"

Clementine smiled a little, "He'll be excited then," she said, remembering how he was always ecstatic on days when Marlon drove him home.

"Yeah," he huffed a laugh, "He always is,"

She was relieved when Mariana and Sarah joined them, saving her from her awkward self. She didn't ever really talk about much with him other than his freckled boyfriend. But Mariana was especially a natural at holding conversations.

"Hi, Marlon! Want some chocolate?" she said with a bright smile and sing-song voice, offering her chocolate bar.

He grinned, surprised, "Oh, thanks Mariana," he said, breaking off a piece before returning it.

She stuffed the rest in her bag, "No problem! How's your vet apprenticeship going?" she asked, leaning against Sarah's tall frame as she spoke. 

His eyes light up at the mention of it, "It's going really well! How have you guys been?"

"Good, good. Nothing much is going on with us," she replies, stressing the 'us' and looking at Clementine mischievously.

Just when Clementine thinks she is about to get teased mercilessly in front of Marlon, Louis finally shows up. He's grinning with his bag slung over his shoulder, and he wraps his arms around Marlon from behind, getting the boy's attention.

"Hey handsome," says Louis sweetly.

Marlon swiftly turns to face him, tilting his chin up to kiss him and making the other girls look away. They were the kind of couple who had no problem with public displays of affection, even if it meant making those around them uncomfortable.

Mariana rolled her eyes with a smile, turning her attention on Clementine, "You up to anything this afternoon?" she asked.

"Just cooking dinner with Carley and Lee," she replied with shrug.

Sarah looked confused, "Wait, Mari said you couldn't cook at all. Are you learning?" she asked curiously.

"Okay, I just kinda watch while they cook. It's still a family dinner," she deadpans, shooting Mariana a look.

\---

The next day Violet visits, which honestly makes Clementine's whole day. She had chickened out when considering messaging the girl last night, so she wasn't expecting to see to her at all. Luckily the rink isn't too busy that day, so they can have a steady conversation, both of them leaning on either side of the counter and listening to the other intently. 

"Trust me, I work at a grocery store, this is way more interesting," says Violet, clearly resentful of the job.

"I bet it is," says Clementine with a laugh.

Violet was looking at her carefully as if weighing up her options on what she should say.

"We should hang out again today. What are you doing after your shift?" she asked, she seemed slightly nervous.

Clementine grinned at this, "I'm free if you wanna come over or go to your place," she replied.

Violet ran a nervous hand through her hair, "I would invite you over but my annoying roommates will be there for sure. Is it okay if we hang at yours?" 

Roommates? Clementine was surprised that Violet was already moved out, she was only a couple months older than her. She decided it wasn't important to swarm her with questions about it though.

"Of course, Lee won't mind he's really cool about that stuff. Oh, he's my foster parent by the way," she explained.

Violet smiled, "That's cool, what's he like?" she asked.

Clementine didn't mention it, but she was secretly appreciative that Violet hadn't instantly asked anything personal about her life at the mention of her foster carer like someone inconsiderate would. It was a small gesture that she was thankful for in the moment.

"He's really caring, he's always looked after me," she said, her tone genuine, "I'm sure he'll be glad to meet you," 

"What, you been talking about me or something?" she asked, teasing.

Clementine blushed slightly, avoiding her gaze, "Only good things, I tell him everything so of course I'd tell him about you," she said, her voice softer than before.

Violet's expression softened, and she smiled. They both were refusing to look directly at each other for a short period of time after that.

"Do you like movies?" she asked, surprising Violet for a moment.

"Yeah they're cool, why?" she replied curiously.

"It's my favorite thing to do with friends when they come over, we should watch one together," she suggested.

"Sounds perfect,"

\---

She had sent Lee a message making sure it was okay for Violet to come over, but she was still nervous about them meeting her for some reason. Carley and Lee were watching some kind of civil war documentary on the couch when they got there, which Clementine usually would have teased them about. But just to be safe she was quick to usher her to her room away from their embarrassing questions and knowing looks.

She belatedly realized that she didn't have any time to clean her room since Violet was already here. She swung open the door and kicked some clothes out of the way on their way in. Violet looked around, smiling. She stepped over a few CDs that were strewn across the floor haphazardly in their cases. There was a pair of speakers on the desk under the window, and a big stack of DVDs on the floor beside it that went up to your hip.

"Woah, you must really love movies. Don't let Jane and Molly over, you'll never see any of these again," she joked, leaning over to look at the pile. 

Clementine laughed, "Yeah, all my favorites are in the drawer though. Pick anything you like," she said, gesturing openly.

Violet arched an eyebrow playfully, "You're the expert, shouldn't you pick something out?" 

"Fine, I'll pick something amazing, just you wait," she promised.

Violet sat on the bed, taking in the posters and blue bed sheets as Clementine rifled through the drawer. It made Clementine a little scared of judgment, especially with her pride flag so blatantly on display over her bed. But they were friends now, she trusted Violet. It was honestly probably the quickest that she's ever come to trust someone before, it had to be a good sign.

All her favorite movies that she never grew tired of rewatching were strewn across the desk. She debated for a moment, but her mind was already made up. Every time she had shown a friend 'Rebel Without A Cause' they've loved it, no matter what kind of movies they were into. Mariana had sobbed and demanded they rewatch it immediately, Louis had borrowed her copy on multiple occasions now.

She grabbed the DVD and her laptop, motioning for Violet to shuffle over so they could both lay on their stomachs on the bed and watch. 

"Ah shit, my laptops flat. Maybe we can ask them to use the TV," she said, disappointed.

"I have my laptop in my bag, we can use that if you like," she suggested.

She pulled the laptop out and Clementine handed her the disk. Violet read over the case's cover as the movie loaded.

"'Rebel Without A Cause' huh? I think I've heard of this," she mused, sending Clementine a look.

She hummed happily, "It's really, really good. I promise you'll like it," she assured the blonde girl laying close to her.

Violet rested her head in her hands, returning her gaze to the screen as the opening music played, "I'm sure I'll love it," 

They're a decent way in, and Clementine talks about how this movie has a lot of foreshadowing and symbolism and cinematic shots, but that she always really just enjoyed it for the characters. Violet listens contently and points out things she finds cool about the scenes.

"She's so pretty," says Violet, surprising Clementine a great deal who had been immersed in the movie.

She glanced between Violet and the actress on screen for a moment, "Oh, yeah. I always had a big crush on Natalie Wood after watching this," she said, her heart hammering in her chest.

Violet grinned, and they fell into a comfortable silence once more. Despite that Clementine still felt flustered just admitting that so casually. The iconic kiss scene by the fireplace was building up, and Clementine could feel herself tensing slightly. She was momentarily stunned by the realization that she was watching one of her favorite movies with Violet in her bedroom, and they had both pretty much admitted to liking girls minutes earlier.

The music and Clementine's chest soared as the characters kissed, and she was faintly aware of Violet smiling beside her. It was like this for a few painstaking seconds until the scene faded to black, and Clementine released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. After the bittersweet final scene, they shut the laptop and simply lay there talking, Violet propping her head up with her elbows and Clementine on her back, staring at the ceiling. At first it was just about the movie, then it stemmed into other things. Conversations were just easy like that with them.

Clementine huffed a laugh, "Shit I still need to come up with my roller derby name," she said as the thought entered her mind.

Violet raised an eyebrow looking down at her, "You need to be ready to commit if you're picking out a name," she pointed out.

"Well, I think I am," replied Clementine truthfully.

"You don't have to sign up because of me, we can still hang out," she said dismissively.

"I'm not though, I actually had a lot of fun. I want to keep practicing," she insisted, prying herself up on her elbows to emphasize her point.

Violet looked at her hopefully, seeming to be searching for any lack of truth in what she was saying, "Seriously? You really enjoyed yourself?"

"Seriously," she replied, stressing the word. 

Violet huffed a laugh, "Okay. I don't doubt that you can handle it. We'll have to work on that name though," she teased.

Clementine grinned, her eyes lingering. She locked her eyes on the ceiling again before she could become flustered.

"I'll let you know if I think of anything," she replies softly.

They sit in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, until Violet speaks up again.

"I should probably get going soon, but this was really nice," she says genuinely.

Clementine sits up, not even bothering to hide her disappointment, "They really wouldn't care if you stayed the night," she offered.

Violet smiled, "That would be great, but I have work tomorrow,"

"Oh, right. So do I," she said, feeling stupid for forgetting.

The next morning her phone goes off as she's brushing her teeth, and she pauses to check it.

**Violet: Accidently kept your disc in my laptop, I guess I'll get to rewatch it over and over until I see you next**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, your feedback is appreciated as always!
> 
> If you ever wanna chat feel free to hmu on my tumblr @pixelpeas I'm really easy to talk to and love making friends!
> 
> I hope you're having a lovely day/night wherever you are! <3


	6. She reaches in, grabs right hold of your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clementine knew that this was a crush, knowing what to do about it was another thing though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, this one was so fun to write! :) Enjoy x

Now that Clementine had set her mind to it, she was eager to practice and improve her roller derby skills every chance she got. After work one day Violet, Jane and Molly had stuck around so that they could all practice together in the rink. The proper rink was a long train ride away and only available on weekends, so they settled with what they had.

Violet had seemed hesitant around Mariana, Louis, and Sarah at first, but had eventually warmed up to them after a lot of encouragement from Clementine. The three had taken a lot of enjoyment in watching them practice, and of course, they enjoyed all the teasing material they were getting from seeing Violet and Clementine in such close proximity.

After a good hour of practice and being knocked over by an aggressive Jane one too many times, Clementine decided they take a break for food. The leftovers in the kitchen were quickly dug into by the six girls as they pushed a couple of the small tables together so they could all fit. Louis had made a speedy escape to go see Marlon after his shift had ended that day.

"How familiar are you with the rules of roller derby anyway?" asked Jane with a curious eyebrow raised in her direction.

"Uh, I watched Whip It when I was like 13," Clementine admitted after a thoughtful sip of her drink.

Molly sighed, "Ah, that movie was my sexual awakening as a lesbian," she mused, making Jane grin.

The shorter haired girl scoffed, "Ellen Page in general was my sexual awakening," she remarked.

Clementine was looking between them, unsure of how to respond. Luckily Violet came to her rescue promptly.

"Stop annoying her," she deadpanned, "Just explain the rules already,"

Jane snorted, fiddling with her neon pink helmet, "Okay, okay Valentine," she teased, "Basically two teams compete on the track skating anticlockwise, you knew that much already. Four people from each team make up the blockers, the fifth is called the jammer. The jammers start behind the blockers, standing side by side," she explained, Clementine listening intently all the while.

"Their job is to score points. During each jam they have to make their way through the blockers once, the second time they come around they can start scoring points. They get a point for each players hips they pass," she said, "That's the basics. I'm sure you can pick it up easily as you go," she encouraged.

Clementine nodded, "Okay, seems easy enough to follow," she agreed.

Mariana grinned at her enthusiastically from across the table, "You're gonna be great Clem!"

Jane watched the girl for a moment as she ate another handful of fries, "Why don't you try?" she suggested simply.

Mariana stiffened, her eyes widened, "M-me? Have you seen me?" she said, laughing nervously.

"Your point? The only thing I see stopping you is your attitude," she challenged, crossing her arms.

"I just know I'd be no good at it, there's no point," she said, her brows knitting together.

"You think we were any good when we started? You should've seen _us_ ," added Molly with a smile.

Mariana looked between the three experienced girls skeptically one by one, Violet nodded in agreement to the others. 

Jane sighed, "Look, all I'm saying is you seemed to enjoy watching and we could use the players. You can already skate so you'll have a head start," stated Jane simply, making a good point that Mariana seemed to be considering.

Sarah spoke up this time, "Mari, I think you should give it a shot, I'm sure you'd do great! I could come along with you so you don't feel so alone," she encouraged, putting an assuring hand on the shorter girls shoulder.

Mariana looked thrown off by this instantly, her expression changing dramatically. Her cheeks seemed heated with embarrassment for a moment.

"Maybe, I could try," she conceded, and the girls around her smiled. 

"No pressure or anything, but the six of us plus Ava, Ruby and Brody would make a solid team of nine," said Molly with a playful tone.

"How many players can be in a team anyways?" asked Sarah, her interest seeming officially caught.

"Like, up to 15. At the end of a jam you usually switch over some of the 5 playing with the benched ones to change up your strategy," explained Molly helpfully.

Something felt warm in Clementine's chest. All of a sudden she felt incredibly at home with the girls around her. She smiled to herself, staring off into space at the table, thinking about how happy she was to have friends like these right now. Violet nudged her discretely with her boot, making her look up to meet her gaze.

"What're you smiling about?" she asked softly, so quiet that only Clementine could hear it as the other girls chatted away.

Clementine was starstruck for a moment, simply gazing into her eyes.

She hummed contently, "Guess I'm just really happy," she answered, ducking her head shyly.

Violet was staring at her intently, her eyes seeming to be searching for something in Clementine's expression. If something was on her mind she didn't mention it. They returned to their food after a few moments had passed, neither of them saying another word. Clementine knew that this was a crush, knowing what to do about it was another thing though. For now, at least she was simply content with Violet's company.

\---

That weekend roller derby practice was intense. Ava had taken to training Mariana and Sarah, the tough girl frightening the increasingly nervous Mariana greatly. However, Sarah encouraged her the entire time. Much to everyone's insistence, she had agreed to try it out as well. So far she was faring well, laughing and getting up again each time she would fall.

Clementine was getting much more used to the track now. She could skate its complete circumference in no time at all. However, the contact aspect of the sport was something she was still struggling with greatly. Some of the more aggressive players like Ruby and Jane had already left her ribs sore and they were only just getting started.

"You need to push your way through," said Violet, she was trying to encourage her but Clementine was still unsure. 

"Come on, I'll show you," she urged, and Clementine followed her up to the high right side of the rink.

"I'll try and skate past you, and you basically try and knock me on my ass," she said with a grin, making the other girl feel a little better. 

"I think I'm just scared of hurting someone," she said, adjusting her baseball cap nervously.

"We're padded up and taught how to fall safely for a reason. Hurt is just part of the fun," she said, nudging Clementine to ease her worries.

Clementine sighed, apprehensive, "Okay, I'll try," she said.

She skated forward, and Violet tried passing her from the right where the railing was. Clementine hesitated but blocked the path with her shoulder.

"Be more aggressive, you got this," encouraged Violet firmly.

Clementine listened, and when she saw Violet approaching the gap a second time she surged to the right with her shoulder powerfully. Violet was shoved successfully, and she gripped the railing, causing Clementine to stop in her tracks.

"Was that good?" she asked, concerned for a moment that Violet had been hurt. 

Violet was beaming, "That was great! Now do that every time some punk from the other team tries to get past you!" she said, her smile wide.

"I'll try my bes-" she was cut off by an impact from her left.

The two of them crashed together against the railing after Jane shoved into them, causing them to groan in protest as they fell to the ground. Violet helped Clementine up, offering her a hand and shooting Jane a glare.

"Toughen up! We're gonna practice a game!" yelled Jane, her grin wicked. 

Ava was continuing to run through techniques with Mariana and Sarah, the remaining girls gathering for a game. It would have to be three vs. three for the time being with the absence of the others. Lilly split them up, on one team was Violet, Clementine, and Molly. The other, Jane, Brody and Ruby. Clementine stiffened nervously, her bare minimum knowledge of the rules forcing her to pay attention to everything around her in order to keep up.

Molly handed Clementine a bit of purple fabric, "You should be the jammer first. You gotta learn sooner or later," she supplied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Clementine took the fabric skeptically, but Violet sent her an encouraging look. She slipped it over her helmet, the star on the side of it serving as an indication that she was the team's jammer for this round. Her heart thrummed in her chest nervously as none other than the intimidating Ruby wore the other team's star. 

They lined up in their positions, Clementine and Ruby a distance behind the pack of blockers who were readying their defenses. Her heart beat once, the whistle blew, and she was off. She flew forward, not allowing herself to waste any time since she was aware of how difficult it was going to be to slip by Jane and Brody. When she reached the pack she had been expecting to have to wait for the opportunity to sneak by them, but in a flash, Violet was there giving Jane a challenging time of blocking by shoving into her side. 

Clementine had been just faster than Ruby, so the girl was on her left in a matter of moments. She elbowed her forcefully, but much to her surprise she was able to keep her footing. She powered forward, and Molly caught her eye. The short haired girl skated forward, opening up a gap for Clementine to slip through. Once again she wasted no time because the opening surely would allow Ruby to shove past the defense as well.

Ruby was strong and incredibly tough for sure, but Clementine had speed on her side. The girl wasn't far behind, but the advantage was there. And it was enough for Clementine to will herself to get even faster. This was her second time around, which meant she would be going for points this time. 

This time Ruby got through before she could, but she was impressed that she even survived a jam. They took turns at being the jammer, Clementine watched in wonder when it was Violet's turn, loving the slight smirk that came over lips when she zoomed past someone. By the time it was her turn to wear the jammer's star again she had gotten used to the game more and felt ready.

This time, her confidence was spiking as she approached the pack of blockers once again. Violet was shoving Jane like she had last time, and Brody spared a glance over her shoulder at Clementine as she got closer. She completely disregarded Ruby's looming presence on her right and stuck to the left. There was a gap between Brody and the left edge of the track that could just be small enough to slip by if she was quick. Without hesitating any longer she took the opportunity, completely throwing Brody off who had been expecting Clementine to come from the other side. 

In flash Brody's elbow collided with her face, and she lost her balance and fell over. It didn't hurt at first, but as she tried t raise her head the pain registered and she groaned.

"Clem! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, you surprised me I didn't think you'd be there," a million apologies were spilling from Brody as she covered her face but they barely sunk in as her head was still spinning.

She was faintly aware of Mariana and Violet kneeling beside her and trying to help her sit up.

"I'm okay, it's okay Brody you didn't mean to," she said, waving her hand dismissively. 

Her eyes met with Violet's who looked beyond concerned, worry spilling over all of her features, "You're not okay, Jesus Christ," she said in a hushed tone, her hand on Clementine's shoulder to support her.

Clementine was about to assure her she was fine, but then she felt liquid running down her chin. She reached her hand up, and sure enough, when she pulled it back to look at it there was blood on her fingertips. Her nose was bleeding, pretty badly apparently.

"Oh Clem, let us help you up," urged Mariana, who was still crouched at her side.

She accepted her and Violet's hands for support and they walked with her out of the rink and over to the benches. She could walk fine but felt slightly light-headed. And of course, the pain was still washing over her from her nose. Brody was still muttering about it being an accident as the other girls assured her it was okay. 

They sat her down gently, Violet muttered something about getting the first aid kit, and Mariana stayed by her side and rubbed her arm soothingly. 

"I'll be okay, remember that time at school camp when the fishing hook got caught in my arm?" she joked, and Mariana rolled her eyes.

"Don't remind me, I'll throw up again," she replied, making Clementine chuckle.

Mariana seemed to check over her shoulder before speaking again, "I guess I should leave you be so your girlfriend can clean you up. How romantic," she gushed teasingly.

"Mari, don't," she said, but the girl had already got up and skated back towards Sarah.

Her face felt hot with embarrassment, but it didn't manage to be her main concern, what with blood dripping off her chin into her hand. She let her hand hang there as to not get any on her clothes, it was almost starting to gross her out and blood was never something that phased her. 

Violet appeared again, sitting down next to her. She turned so they were facing each other and began wiping the blood away with a sterile cloth. Clementine avoided looking at her as she did so, the simple feeling of Violet's fingertips on her jaw holding it in place enough to make her heart thrum in her chest.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, her face burning with a deep set blush.

"It's okay," she replied with a small smile, "Still having fun with roller derby?"

Clementine huffed a laugh, "Still having fun," she agreed firmly. 

Violet was taking way too much time cleaning her chin, her lips and the area just above them for Clementine's comfort. Not that the touches were unwelcome, it was just way too soft and gentle, it was making her chest feel impossibly warm. 

When everything was clean she pressed a couple bunched up tissues to her nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Clementine took them thankfully, and held them in place firmly, absorbing any remaining blood. 

"Aren't I meant to tilt my head back or something to stop the blood?" she asked, genuinely not knowing.

"I think that's how nosebleeds work, yeah," she replied with a shrug.

She did just that, her eyebrows knotting together as the dull pain made her wince. 

"That was really embarrassing," she said lamely.

Violet snorted, "It's okay, trust me, everyone gets injured or falls on their face every once in a while. And you're still learning," she reassured.

"Yeah, I guess. But I just feel like I suck at this," she said, looking to the side scornfully.

Violet's expression changed, "Hey, no, it was just a mistake at the end there but up until that point you were doing great!" she argued. 

Clementine looked at her unsurely, so she continued, "Clementine, I was watching you and you were so fast! You did well, so stop putting yourself down so much," she urged.

The girl blushed, lowering the tissues into her lap, "Thanks, Vi," she said.

There was a moment where they both looked at each other with recognition in their eyes as they realized Clementine had used that nickname for the first time. Violet seemed to process this then decide she liked it, smiling softly. Clementine wanted to lean forward and kiss that smile hard, right off her lips. She looked away quickly, growing flustered.

\---

Her nose had thankfully stopped bleeding after a couple minutes, but there was a slightly purple bruise blossoming over its bridge. She realized showing up with an injury probably wasn't the best way to tell Lee and Carley that she was joining a roller derby team, but she didn't have much of a choice now. 

"Hey Lee, hey Carley," she said as she entered the kitchen.

The two lovebirds were chatting over dinner that she had assured them they could have without her, the since they had all gotten take away after practice. They looked up with smiles plastered on their faces, remnants of laughter from whatever they had been talking about a couple seconds earlier still present in their voices. 

"Hey Clem," said Lee, but his expression changed as he took in her appearance, "What happened to your nose?" he asked, concerned.

She touched the brim of her cap nervously, "Right, so, I've been meaning to tell you guys," she started, watching as the worry grew on their faces.

"I've joined a roller derby team and it's actually really great, I just got in an accident today but I'm really completely fine," she blurted, looking between them both in turn.

They took a moment to process what she had said, making her anxious, but eventually, they smiled, "That's really cool," said Carley, easing her worries.

"If you're happy we're happy, just try and be more careful," said Lee, shaking his head.

She smiled and sat down with them, and shared stories about her new friends and what roller derby was like. They smiled at how she lit up while talking about it, and laughed when she blushed over their questions about Violet. 

"When are you inviting her over for dinner?" Carley had teased, only half joking.

Clem buried her face in her hands, hiding her embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll say it again, I only want to play roller derby I've never actually played so I'm sorry if this wasn't very good, but it was so much fun to write!  
> I'm currently working on a badass lesbian roller derby playlist to go with the roller rink one :))  
> Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for all the kind feedback, I've loved interacting with you guys here and on tumblr! <3  
> One more important thing!!: I've been thinking this over since I started this fic, should clementines roller derby name be sweet pea or something else? Give me any idea you have I'm still unsure


	7. It's not like I get to choose who I love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet smiled again, but it seemed sad as if it was only there to reassure Clementine. She hesitated before replying, seeming to choose her words carefully.
> 
> "It's just, Molly and Jane have been taking care of me for a long time. They always look out for me, sometimes I'm not sure if I deserve it," she said, her tone falling flat as she looked at her feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!! I'm really busy with exams atm so I'm sorry if updates aren't as frequent, but one more week and I'll be on school holidays!! Hope you enjoy x

Clementine ducked out of her bedroom, slipping on her baseball cap as she headed to the kitchen. Lee was already up and had made her toast, and she greeted him politely as she sat down and started eating.

"Clem, there was something I actually wanted to talk to you about," he started, setting down two cups of coffee on the table for them and taking a seat beside her.

She looked up at him unsurely, "Yeah sure, what's up?" she asked, sipping her coffee.

He seemed hesitant, maybe a little nervous, "Well, it's me and Carley's anniversary in a few days," he said, "And we're talking about, her maybe moving in and living here with us," he stated, watching to see how she would respond.

Her eyes widened and she set down the mug, beaming, "Are you serious?! Lee that's amazing, finally!" she enthused, unable to contain how ecstatic she was.

He laughed at her reaction, seeming a little relieved, "I'm glad you agree. We've wanted to for a while, we were just waiting for the right time," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.

She could barely believe it, of course, she had been expecting this but now that it was happening her mind was buzzing with excitement. They continued to chat animatedly until they both had to leave for work later that morning. It was all that Clementine could think of for the rest of the day, gladly telling all her friends at work. 

\---

She works most days at the roller rink, so when she has a day off in the middle of that week she is eager to text Violet, who was luckily also free. She had been slightly surprised when Violet invited her over but was eager to accept. She had assured her that her roommates were busy with work that day and wouldn't be able to bother them. Clementine picks out a comfortable outfit, feeling odd leaving the house without her skates for the first time in ages. On Violet's request, she brings more DVDs to pick from.

It turns out Violet's apartment isn't far from the García family home, only a little closer to the city. It's still in a fairly calm residential neighborhood that she is somewhat familiar with, so she has no trouble finding the place. When she knocks on the door Violet opens up quickly, greeting her with a grin. 

Looking around she wasn't sure what to expect. The doorway leads into a small entryway and then the living room. To the left is a connected kitchen, divided by a small dining table. A hallway leads to what is probably a couple bedrooms and bathroom. Roller skates and plants clutter surfaces like the bench and coffee table, making Clementine smile.

There are a few photos on the fridge and alphabet magnets, arranged to spell 'Jane rulez'. Before she could bring it up, Violet tells her to sit while she grabbed drinks. Clementine did as she was told, sitting on the lounge and continuing to look around. The TV was a decent size, and she was excited to show Violet new movies. She'd even dug up her old copy of 'Whip It' that she hadn't seen in years since she had found out everyone on the team loved it.

Violet set down some Cherry Cokes down on the coffee table, snapping Clementine back to reality.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, crossing her legs as Violet sat down beside her.

"No problem. Knew they were your favorite," she replied casually, with a small smile.

After a good discussion and many thoughtful sips of Cherry Coke, they decided on watching The Road To El Dorado, because everyone adores that movie. They had both seen it a fair few times so they joked and talked throughout it. Around halfway through Clementine's eyes fell on a photo frame on the window sill to their right, and grinned, pointing it out to Violet. It was Violet in the middle of Jane and Molly, her lip busted open and wild smiles on all of their faces. She briefly remembered the time Violet had mentioned the injury.

Violet snorted, "I love that photo," she said fondly, her expression brightening before falling into a slight frown.

Clementine was instantly concerned, she turned her legs so she was facing the other girl more, "Is everything okay?" 

Violet smiled again, but it seemed sad as if it was only there to reassure Clementine. She hesitated before replying, seeming to choose her words carefully.

"It's just, Molly and Jane have been taking care of me for a long time. They always look out for me, sometimes I'm not sure if I deserve it," she said, her tone falling flat as she looked at her feet.

Clementine brows furrowed in both confusion and concern, "What do you mean, they're your friends and they love you, of course you deserve to be taken care of," she said.

Violet met her gaze, pausing shortly, "You know they let me live here with them, after my parents kicked me out I mean," she replied.

Clementine felt her chest ache, and suddenly a lot of things made sense all at once. The pain that Violet must have felt just admitting that made her sad and even a little angry. She could tell this was something Violet wanted to talk about, and she wanted to support her as best as she could.

"Why would your parents do that?" she asked, longing to reach out and comfort the blonde girl across from her in some way.

Violet's lips pursed, obviously struggling to continue. 

"They saw me kiss this girl, Minerva. She was kind of my girlfriend at that time. They couldn't deal with it so they told me to leave," she said, hesitant and unsure.

She continued softly, "I was 16 so of course I thought we were gonna be together forever, I didn't even argue with them. I called Jane and packed my things," she paused again, sighing, "Of course we eventually broke up, I never heard from her again but Jane and Molly took me in. Without them I'm not sure where I would be," she admitted, her voice shaky.

Clementine wanted nothing more than to hold her at that moment, and so she reached out and pulled her into a hug. Violet's hands easily wrapped around her as she did, her head resting on Clementine's shoulder. When she sighed it was like a shudder, and she expected the girl to cry. But she didn't, she only held onto her tightly like that for a minute longer, which Clementine was more than happy for.

When they separated Clementine shook her head in disbelief, "I don't know how anyone could turn their back on you. Your parents made a really stupid mistake," she said, smiling reassuringly.

Violet huffed a laugh, searching Clementine's eyes wordlessly. When they returned to their movie they were sitting closer than before, their arms brushing together. Clementine made no move to break that contact. After it ended they made popcorn, debating what to watch next.

When Jane and Molly eventually got home they dove onto the couch with them, stealing a good amount of popcorn and insisting they put on 'Whip It' next, which Violet and Clementine pretended to oppose but really had no problem with. The size of the couch meant that they were more squished together, and with Jane and Molly spooning on their side Clementine could feel herself becoming stiff and nervous at the close proximity. She almost jumped when Violet leaned a tired head on her shoulder, but eventually eased up and relaxed, attention returning to the movie with a small smile on her face.

\---

At roller derby that weekend she was helping Mariana with her padding and helmet, she was still getting used to being able to put them on herself.

"I think my roller derby name will just be García, it makes me sound like a tough Latina," said Mariana thoughtfully, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Sarah smiled, "Mari, you are a tough Latina," she teased.

Clementine could have sworn Mariana was blushing, but didn't say anything, "What about you Sarah, picked out a name yet?" she asked.

"I was thinking... Starbomb. I like the sound of it," she says with a shrug, and Mariana lights up gleefully, agreeing that it's cute.

"What about you, Clem?" asks Sarah as she ties up her laces.

Clementine rubs the back of her neck thoughtfully, "I don't know, all I've been able to come up with is Sweet-Pea," she says unsurely.

Violet, who had been sitting with them on the bench but hardly listening now seemed fully alert, her eyes widening.

"That's your name? That's so cute what the hell," she said, a grin spreading across her face.

Clementine floundered at this, her cheeks growing warm. Mariana seemed to be buzzing from having to restrain herself from teasing the two of them. Lilly had come along to tell them to get a move on because she had something important to discuss before the practice, saving Clementine from having to formulate a response. The girls hurried to get ready and gathered in the middle of the rink, chatting idly, but quickly falling silent when Lilly got their attention.

She looked over each of them briefly, "You guys have been working really hard, you should be proud. I've scheduled a mock game with a team in the town over called the Monarchs to test your skills, so train extra hard," she pauses, her stern expression softening slightly, "I believe in all of you," 

The girls all erupted into conversation after the announcement, some seeming nervous and the others eager for the challenge.

Violet turns to Clementine, bumping her shoulder, "Oh man, I've been in competitions before but this is intense," she says, seeming happy.

"I hope they aren't too tough. Mariana, Sarah and I are still getting used to this," she replies, feeling a little nervous.

"We're going to do great, I can feel it. Besides its a month away, you'll probably be better than me by that time at the rate you're going," she jokes, making Clementine grin and roll her eyes.

Lilly grabs their attention again, instructing them all to start warming up.

\---

It was the day of Lee and Carley's 1 year anniversary, and Clementine was in a good mood because of it. It always made her happy seeing how happy the two of them were together. Lee was taking her out to lunch, leaving Clementine alone in the house to her own devices. She had come to the decision that she wanted to get them a present for when they got back, maybe some flowers and chocolates or something. They were the ones who took care of her, her guardians, the least she could do was show her appreciation on their special day.

She was laying across the couch and found herself dialing up Violet in the hopes of getting a second opinion, and also because she simply enjoyed the girl's voice.

"Hey Clem, what's up?" she answered when she picked up.

A smile instantly found its way on her lips at the nickname, "Hi Vi, it's Carley and Lee's anniversary and I was gonna go to the mall to get them something, you wanna come with?" she asked.

She realized that she didn't even intend on inviting her when she had first reached for the phone, and suddenly felt nervous as she awaited a reply.

"Sure, sounds like fun," she replied after a moment.

They met up at the shops and discussed what the best kind of flowers to get would be. They got some smoothies from a cafe and carried the plastic cups around as they explored. Clementine was mulling over her options, racking her brain for times when Lee or Carley might have mentioned their favorite sweets or kind of flower. She was suddenly pulled from that stream of thought as Violet latched onto her free hand, pointing at a shop with her other hand that held her drink.

"Let's look in that florist?" she suggested, and Clementine nodded stiffly, face burning and heart racing at the contact.

Violet lead the way, and much to Clementine's disappointment let go of her hand when they reached the storefront. They entered, and the lady at the counter greeted them politely as they began to look around. Violet's face lit up, pointing out a flower.

"These are cosmos, they're my favorite," she mused.

A warm feeling filled Clementine's chest as she committed that to memory, and then teased her about a Violet being a more suitable candidate since it was the kind she was named after. They weighed their options carefully and ended up going with an assortment of lavender, carnations and sunflowers, the bright colors complimenting each other nicely. The florist arranged and wrapped them in a bouquet and Clementine paid for them, picking out a card to go with them with Violet's help.

Violet insisted on carrying them for her, and Clementine smiled, blushing fondly at the sight of the girl holding a bunch of flowers. Next, they headed to the food market in search of something sweet to gift the couple. Clementine looked skeptically between cookies, chocolates and various other baked goods in the bakery section.

"What if you baked them something yourself, like a cake?" suggested Violet.

Clementine shook her head dismissively, "Trust me, I'm a terrible cook it would be a disaster,"

Violet snorted, picking a box off a shelf, "Yeah, me too. That's why Jane and I always use a cake mix for Molly's birthday. Never fails," she assures.

She hands Clementine the box that reads 'Butterscotch Sponge Pudding'. And sure enough, the back has full instructions and the box contains everything you need besides basic things like milk, eggs, and butter. Her eyes widen as she remembers that Carley loves Butterscotch flavor, and they decide to get it. They also pick up a tub of vanilla ice cream to serve it with.

On the bus ride to Clementine's house, Violet lets her look through her sketchbook, squeezing the bouquet nervously as she flips through its pages. It mostly consists of doodles of landscapes, rollerblades, random people and even sketches of Jane and Molly. She stops her after a certain point, telling her the rest was messy and she was too embarrassed to show them yet. Clementine returns the book, not wanting to push her since she was grateful she felt comfortable showing her any at all.

When they arrive at their destination Clementine unlocks the door, both of them kicking off their shoes and heading to the kitchen. Violet set the bouquet down on the bench gently as Clementine began getting cooking equipment out of the cupboards.

"What else do we need?" asks Clementine when she sees Violet reading over the instructions on the box.

"Hm, a measuring cup and then we should be good. You know how to use an oven right?" teases Violet, her lips upturned in a small smirk.

Clementine scoffs, "Yes! I'm not that hopeless!"

They both roll up their sleeves and wash their hands at the sink. Clementine even sets aside her hat for the time being. They set to work, Violet standing to Clementine's left, reading the box and handing her ingredients to add to the large mixing bowl. Things seem to be going well until Violet gets two eggs out of the carton.

Clementine frowns, "I suck at cracking eggs, I always get shells in it," she says.

"Here, just do this," says Violet, taking the egg back and grabbing a cup from the cupboard, "Just crack it into a cup first, then if you get shells it won't get all in the mixture," she explained.

Clementine watched as she easily cracked the egg into the cup and then tipped it into the mixing bowl.

"I thought you said you suck at cooking?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I do. I've just picked up a lot of tricks from Molly, she's really good at it," she supplies, handing the remaining egg for Clementine to try.

Clementine smiles at this, "One time, Lee left me alone with a bunch of sausage rolls in the oven, he wanted me to keep an eye on them," she said, cracking the egg as carefully as she could, "I nearly set fire to the house," she said, making Violet grin.

They add the remaining egg, and Clementine works on stirring the entire thing together.

"Wait, you forgot to add that," said Violet, pointing to Clementine's right.

She turned to look at whatever she was pointing out, and when she saw nothing there turned back to look at Violet. She was met with a batter-covered finger dragging down her cheek. She gasped in surprise, and Violet was grinning wickedly.

"Oops," she said, the batter covered spoon still in her hand.

She reaches out to grab the spoon and Violet lurches backward, trying to keep it out of reach. It doesn't work, Clementine grabs it and smears it down Violet's nose, getting batter all over it.

"Shit!" she yells and Clementine bursts out laughing.

After way too much time squabbling and trying to sneakily put the batter on the other, the oven is finally hot enough to start baking. They pour the mixture into a cake tin and set it on the top shelf of the blazing oven.

"There's this crazy thing called a timer," says Violet sarcastically, pulling her phone out of her pocket, "It makes sure you don't let your food burn to a crisp," she says, fighting back a grin.

Clementine rolls her eyes, "Okay, shut the fuck up," she says, hitting Violet's arm playfully.

After the timer is set, they both sit on the bench, chatting idly and keeping an eye on the pudding. Clementine had taken the time to put all the flowers from the bouquet into a water-filled vase, making for a pretty table piece for Carley and Lee to see when they came home. The batter they had smeared on each other was starting to dry, and they finally got up to wash it off and clean the rest of the kitchen. They're both doing the dishes in a comfortable silence when all of a sudden Violet speaks up.

"Thanks for inviting me, I had a lot of fun today," she says, huffing a short laugh with a content smile on her lips.

Clementine pauses, observing her profile in awe for a moment before responding.

She shakes her head, "No way, thank you for coming. You made my day," she says, a blush settling on her cheeks.

Violet doesn't reply but Clementine can see her grin widen out of the corner of her eye. By the time Carley and Lee arrive its mid-afternoon, and the pudding is out of the oven and cooling down. Violet is crossing her arms nervously at first, but they great her politely and eventually she eases up.

Carley is admiring the flowers while Lee is looking at the Butterscotch pudding, seeming more than a little surprised that they pulled that off. They insist that Violet stays and has a piece with them and Carley brews some coffee. Clementine is relieved when it actually tastes great, putting ice-cream on top was definitely an excellent decision on Violet's part.

When it's finally time for Violet to head home Clementine walks with her to the doorstep, and they linger in the doorway. She is unsure of what she wants to say, and Violet is giving her that look she's never able to decipher. Finally, they hug and part ways, leaving Clementine feeling content but somehow sad as well. Somehow she misses her already.

When she returns Carley and Lee are on the couch together, hands intertwined. It brightens her mood instantaneously.

"Thanks for everything this afternoon Clem, it was really thoughtful," said Lee sincerely.

She rubbed the back of her neck with a shy smile, "Aw, it's okay. Violet helped a lot too,"

Carley smiled, "It seems like you two had a fun day together," she noted, making Clementine feel flustered all over again.

"Yeah, we really did," she replied, folding her arms over her chest that was full of butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah so much to say! First off I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm happy with how it turned out!  
> Also that trailer!! Talk about it with me I'm so shook.  
> I also need to shout out You Make Me's first fanart, it's so gorgeous it made me cry! Go follow the artist!!  
> https://pixelpeas.tumblr.com/post/178129358714/engryegg-still-having-fun-with-roller-derby  
> I won't ramble anymore but ty for everything you guys! This community we have is helping me through so much stress atm!  
> Love you all!


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